NOTE: This story was first published in The Bohol Chronicle’s Sunday print edition.
REP. Erico Aristotle Aumentado of the 2nd District expects increased rice production with the Department of Agriculture (DA) pushing rice farming modernization in Bohol.
This after Agriculture Region 7 Executive Director Salvador Diputado brought a fleet of 17 walk behind type rice transplanters Monday to the Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center (APC) for distribution to as many irrigators associations to relieve them of the backbreaking task of transplanting the seedlings. The equipment cost P250k per unit, already including 400 seedling trays, and forms part of the P4.25 million allocation for Bohol, he said.
For his part, Aumentado said, “Agricultural modernization is imperative if we are to lower the cost of rice production”. He expressed gratitude to Diputado for his relentless drive to help Bohol’s rice farmers.
Of this batch, six units are allocated for the 2nd District, namely – the Bical Farmers Association (Bicfa) of Mandawa, Bien Unido headed by Rpmualdo Orjaleza; Green Farmers Association of Sagbayan headed by Rolando Amba;
NINNEWC Irrigators Association of Bayongan, San Miguel headed by Fernando Hotojot; JOSSIDICO United Farmers IA, Inc of Talibon; Sto. Tomas Land Farmers Association of Sto. Tomas, Trinidad, and Gabi, Bulilis, Lumangog IA of Ubay.
Aumentado said this support from DA under Sec. William Dar’s Plant! Plant! Plant! Program will drastically shorten the planting-harvesting cycle, cut harvesting costs, and improve the margin of farmers.
Meanwhile, Aumentado expressed elation on learning that Bohol is also a beneficiary of the P2 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – DA’s buffer for farmers to cushion the impact of the Rice Tariffication Law.
Beneficiaries will receive equipment for land preparation, crop establishment, harvesting, threshing, of milling.
Land preparation units are four-wheeled or hand tractors, or planting tiller, while crop establishment units can be rice precision seeder, walk-behind or riding type rice transplanters. Harvesting units can be rice reapers or rice combine harvester, or mini rice thresher or mobile rice mills.
The 2nd District beneficiaries are the Lapacan Norte-Magkaya Farmers and Small Water Irrigators Association (LAMAGFSWIA) in Lapacan Norte, Buenavista headed by Bonifacio Bautista; Bontod Caluasan Irrigators’ Association, Inc. in Caaluasan headed by Nepthale Ayuban and San D Mil Irrigators’ Association of San Miguel headed by Leonardo Ecat, both in Dagohoy town;
Danao Agrarian Reform Cooperative (DARC) of Poblacion, Danao headed by Ireneo Ludevese; Santo Tomas Land Farmers Association of Santo Tomas headed by Josenilo Gara and Banlasan Rural Improvement Association (BRIA) in Balasan, both of Trinidad town; and the Triple C & T Irrigators Association in Tuburan, Ubay headed by Danilo Tubo.
Aumentado said he knows the rice production cycle, being a son of the “farmer of the family” in retired teacher Peregrina Cabagnot-Aumentado. His namesake father Erico Boyles Aumentado was the “fisherman of the family” who joined a fishing crew as early as when he was seven years old – after being orphaned by the solon’s grandfather. (BY JUNE S. BLANCO)